1(5(3 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, 1883. 



is the fact, that the owuer of the tea has this extor- 

 tionate charge to pay mainly for a process which does 

 his produce the greatest possible amount of injury ; 

 that of turning out; the tei on cold, damp and probably 

 dirty floors. The truth is that tea is traditionally fair 

 game for harpies from those who infest the Loudon 

 Docks and the Custom House, to the middlemeu and 

 iinally the grocirs, who look on 6d per lb., as the very 

 minimum of tilth- profits, another 6d going to the 

 Imperial Government in tlie shape of duty. But all 

 else i^ over-shadowed b,v the atrocious imposition of 

 "LindonDock Charges," for we feel perfectly certain 

 that in the vast majority of "breaks" often, half-a- 

 dozen packagi-s, selected with discrimination, would 

 oive a fair average for the whole. But even if, for duty 

 purposes, every single package has to be emptied out 

 and repacked, we fail to see how, such a sum as 

 £1S 35 5'i can be u-.-ces-ary for 128 halfchcats, an average 

 charge of very ueai-ly 3s for each half-chest ! We do not 

 forget that some portion of the charge constitutes the 

 rent due to the Dock Companies, but even so the 

 exaction is exorbitint and to the gn.wcr of the pro- 

 duce ruinous,— for he actually pays for injury done 

 to the contents of his jjackages. The other London 

 cliarges which seem eusceptible of reduction, are thus 

 tt>ted in the case in question : — 



Brokerage, 1 per cent £-2 1. ''is 3d 



Sale charges .. 1 5s Od 



Together £4 Oi 3d 



When bieiiks are large, wo should think a conso- 

 lidated charge of 1 yet cent on the gross proceeds, 

 ought to be sufficient for brokerage and sale cliarges. 

 Dock charges, biokerage and sale charges aggregate 

 £•22 33 8d in the case we are noticinj;, and we should 

 be glad if otlier receipieiits jf Au ouut Sales, would com- 

 pare notes with us in regard to these particular charges, 

 which in this special case are not far short of one half of 

 the whole charges against tile Livoice: £12 3s Sd againsta 

 total of £4!> I4s4d. ^The I a'ance of £27 lO.sSd is inad.-np 

 of items against which, we suppose reasonable complaint 

 cannot be made, unless £1G freight for 128 l.alf-chests 

 is rathr high. The items apart from London D>ck 

 charge, brokerage and sale charge?, are :— £. s. d. 

 Sea Insurance, £28.5 at 25s and duty 3 12 

 Freight -350 at uOs per 50 feet 16 



Fire insurance ... ... 10 



Interest on charges ... ... 10 7 



Commission and guarantee ... 6 18 1 



Total ... £27 10 S 

 The local agents to whom the London charges were 

 reftrreJ, stated in reply : -" The position of tea as 

 regards London charges and trade allowances, is most 

 un'satisfactory, but there is no means of avoiding the 

 items you call attention to and unless shippers in 

 India and China unite to demand an alteration, we 

 fear matters will go on as at present. The high 

 dock charges are perhaps in part due to the veiy 

 objectionable practice of bulking India and Ceylon 

 teas in London." 



THE PLA>"TING DISTRICT OF MONARAGALA, 

 CEYLOX. 

 At Bibile, a tavalam road from Alutnuwara crosses 

 the Bidnlla-Batticaloa cart road and proceeds along 

 beneath the MaduUima range, in the direction of 

 Monaragala and, as my friend and companion's route 

 lay homeward, there we p.irled company. Thus my 

 course was with Madulsima on my right, tlie low- 

 country and some grass-covered round-topped hills 

 •upon my left. The distant ranges were bluer than 

 X ever remember seeing them ; can this be the reas'Ui 

 jfhy Kilgala a rocky hill in this neighbourliood is so 



called ? For the first time in my whole route were 

 paddyfields met with being cultivated during the 

 S')Uth-west monsoon, it having hitherto been in con- 

 tinuation of a rainless country during these months, 

 except, when watered by an occasional thunder storm. 

 There was little alont; this road that was interesting; 

 the continual chena broken by paddyfields with patana- 

 like hills around, and as I progressed the Madulsima 

 range after being skirted was left in the distance. A 

 very uninviting resthouse at Madegama was passed 

 unentered, said to be 12 miles from Bibile though it 

 appeared to me far less. From this point the road 

 hitherto ingooil order, began to show less signs of care and 

 attention, and I think I m.ay say everything assumed 

 the same appearance. In places I had t'l dismount 

 to lead my horse under over-hanging thorns. At 

 noon I found I was passing the Monaragala hill 

 which suddenly became cunspicuous on the left, 

 with its forest and clearings, and along ravines large 

 masses of white rock piled upon each other and spot- 

 ted over every clearing. 



After reaching Nakal the road turned more towards 

 the range and at Mupane almost touched it, which 

 must be over 30 miles from Bibile. Muoh cannot be 

 said of this rising village except, tliat it has the rep- 

 utation of being very unhealthy, and that owing to the 

 enterprize of the residents, fresh meat is procurable 

 twice a week and beer imd brandy and other drinks 

 1 1 the heart's cout ut. My route, however, lay along a 

 number of buffalo tracks to the foot of the hills, after 

 which I fiually reached "Sirigalla" estate up a zig- 

 zag path, through some very line forest passii-.g on 

 my way to Monaragala paiisala. 



.After a week in Government rrsthouses, it was quite a 

 luxury to find myself again among the comforts and cleau- 

 limss of a European's househoLl. The systematic order 

 contrasted with ihe continual solicitation required for the 

 hundred and one wants of we dependent whites upon 

 the aid of others. I was 1,500 feet above the sea 

 amongst very promis.'-ing Libtrian coffee and cocoa, 

 from the verandah spread out a panorama before 

 me of tlie whole eastern feature of the Uva chain. 

 At my left, mveloped in clouds was Ilakwana in 

 the tar, far distance. Nearer lay the Wcllaway 

 Peak and above it Dulliis very conspicuous, and the Ha- 

 putale hills. The locality of the KUa Pass was just 

 distinguishable, then ISfamiinakuli, and Passara right in 

 front and to the right Madulsima and Hcwa Eliya, 

 with a more rugged and bold skyline. Pricking up 

 nearar, were the Alonaragala Pansala, Peak and the 

 forestclad hill lying to the south of the range. There 

 I had a good day's rest, tended my tick-bites nhich were 

 be{.iiiningto look s lious, tLepenalty ofalowcountiy trip. 

 Next day I had an opporiunity of seeing something of 

 the district, so we clambered to the top of the ridge above 

 " Normandy." I was struck with the total absence of all 

 kinds of pafnis. There were rucks and precipices, but 

 neither kitools nor dotalas, rattan canes were met with up 

 on the highest point of the range. Most of the forest trees 

 of the colfee districts were to be seen, keena and 

 cattabodde very prevalent, with lofty nuga trees 

 the higher branches of which, were out of the range 

 of small-shot. Ubberiya, dawata, wal buruta, miliila 

 and many other of our forest trees were frequent and 

 of all districts I have visited 1 never remember before 

 observing such a uniformity of soil. The land through- 

 out is covered with boulders, in many places heaped 

 upon each other so that a subterranean p.assage is 

 sometimes the easier one lo choose. These rocks are 

 highly felspathic, and felspar is every where met 

 I wilh in many stages of disintegration, from pure 

 I white to a cnmibliug into mould. An analysis of 

 some of the most marked kinds would be very in- 

 teresting and would denote what are the valuable 

 properties the land po.-sefses. The soil resulting 

 from the decay of these rocks should surely be good 



